Of Friends and Familial Foes
by Kameya Karona
Summary: Sometimes, a single event can subconsciously jolt a destiny onto you. Sesshoumaru should have known Mommy wouldn't want to play. WARNING: Child Abuse.


Hello Readers! I know I haven't posted a new story in what has to be YEARS but things were ... complicated. ^~^

Anyway, I actually started writing this story back in 2009 and had it about 1/3 done when the computer was virused AND my USB FRIED! Losing everything!

I cried, believe you me. Very sad. I still remembered the overall plot, of course, but the wording I had... I had liked it but couldn't remember! However, bit by bit, quotes and phrases came back and I started writing anew. I personally LOVE this story, one of my favorites.

Just so you know, there is an underlying plot kinda/not really attached to this story. It's for something else I'm working on, a grand Sesshy Project, if you will. But I think I've made it so you can follow along without confusion or worry.

WARNING: Child Abuse

Disclaimer: If there are any questions as to who belongs to what, you can contact my secretary. By the way, the sight of emails kick-starts the flashbacks for him O.o

Please enjoy!

* * *

From this day forward, his name would be Froggie. Froggie Green Hopper the third. He didn't really know if Froggie was a third, but Froggie was a royal Froggie and royals always had really long names.

They also wore capes!

It was decided. Froggie needed a cape.

The young boy glanced wearily to the castle he'd been banished from for the day. Could he do it? Could he sneak in without being seen and find his friend Froggie a cape? He suddenly thought against it. Mommy was always saying he was noisy. If he disturbed her again today . . .

Sesshoumaru shuddered and welcomed Froggie's chirping as a distraction.

"I dunno Froggie. Can't you go without a cape?" the child anxiously asked his friend. Froggie blinked,

Ribbet

"But what if Mommy gets mad?"

Ribbet Ribbet

"I guess that makes sense. Mommy _does _say we can't run around nakey. We're not humans, after all," he reasoned, a smile ghosting his lips. He looked back up to the brimming castle on the hill. One cape, coming up.

Sneaking through the castle wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. All the servants and maids were too busy washing and folding and polishing and cooking to notice little him.

From his place in the hallway, Sesshoumaru could smell the fried meats wafting from the kitchen, making his tummy growl. It was almost lunchtime. He wondered distantly, that if Mommy was pleased with his table manners today, she might actually allow him to eat his fill. It would be nice not to be sent to bed with a tummy ache.

The toddler poked his head around another corner and was visibly relieved. Mommy was nowhere to be seen.

Now, what could Froggie use as a cape? When the idea of cutting up one of his old socks came to mind, he grinned wildly and dashed down the corridor to his room.

"Step. Step. Step. Down the hall with the bird painting and turn toward the hand I draw with. One door, two door. . . "

Little Sesshoumaru stopped the chant he used to remember where his room was when he heard a powerful sound coming from the hall to his right. He cringed when he realized what it was that had caught him by surprise.

Mommy was _mad_. She was shouting horribly at someone. Someone brave enough to shout right back.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head as blind nostalgia hit him. He was pretty sure the voice fighting with Mommy was one he recognized, but there was so much volume and harshness and . . . . growl, that the tyke couldn't put his finger to it.

Before he could stop himself, Sesshoumaru had walked right up to the door. Stomach full of nervous flutters, he put his ear to the cool wood and listened. He tried to sniff out the angry character that Mommy was bad mouthing ―oh- _that_ was a _really_ bad word― but Mommy's heavy perfume made it impossible, and simply tickled his nose.

Just then, the door slid open with such force, it actually cracked the frame it had crashed into.

"I wasn't doing anything!" the young youkai rushed out, jumping back a pace and staring at the floor. He was going to get it for sure now; caught red-handed eavesdropping?! Mommy was going to be _furious_! Sesshoumaru suddenly wanted nothing more than to find the nearest toilet.

When silence was his response though, Sesshoumaru chanced a peak and a huge grin stretched across his face. It was _Daddy_ standing in the doorway! He had come _back_! Daddy looked quit startled by the boy's sudden presence but otherwise lacked the previous furry he had displayed.

"Oh? Now, why don't I believe you?" his Daddy taunted. He stepped away from the door and slid it closed behind him. Then he led Sesshoumaru away from the angry ears of _that woman_. As they walked, Sesshoumaru rocked back and forth on his toes bashfully as his Daddy studied him with his elevated eyes.

"What _are_ you doing, son? You have the posture of a guilty man."

"Mommy said not ta come back today, but I need a cape for my friend cuz he's _woyel_, so I had to come in to get my socks, but I don't wanna get yelled at so I has to be quiet so I was sneaking. Don't tell Mommy!" the toddler mumbled out.

By this point in the game, Daddy had little trouble picking apart his son's baby babble. He understood the "don't tell Mommy" pretty well since it was practically shouted at him (a snarl formed at the back of the warrior's throat) but there were still a few gaps in translation. Something about socks, and possibly a. . .

"Woyel?" he whispered to himself before it clicked, "Royal. Which friend of yours is royal?"

"Froggie,"

"Would Froggie happen to be an_ actual_ frog?"

Sesshoumaru nodded feverously.

"Is he a _demon_ frog?"

The tyke shook his head, no.

His Daddy blinked in the oddity of the situation, "Well then, let's go see if we can find Froggie a cape."

Sesshoumaru bounced with joy as he took Daddy's hand and they made their way to the other side of the castle.

Much to the aghast of the kitchen staff, Sesshoumaru was allowed a single cloth napkin to use as a plaything. Afterwards, the tyke introduced Daddy to his friend― Froggie the Third― at the crude pond just beyond the castle walls. His Daddy peacefully observed as Sesshoumaru carried on a legitimate (though one sided) conversation with the thing.

Daddy looked over to the poker faced amphibian with a questionable rise of his brow. Could his son really talk to this frog? _Really?_ Oh, the mystery that is a child's mind. He was skeptical, but the past four years with the tyke had him taking things in stride.

Once the make-shift cape had been securely tied about his friend's neck, the child's imagination went wild. In less than an hour, Sesshoumaru had eaten cake with a rabbit on the moon, freed Amaterasu from her cave prison, slain an eight headed snake and successfully conquered the whole of Japan with Froggie as his third in command (Daddy was his right hand man, of course).

With the session of adventures ending in a tickle fight and a round of tag, little Sesshoumaru was all but tuckered out.

Daddy had flopped onto his side in the tall grass, propped up on his elbow, and watched his son arrange his collection of toys into some kind of order only the tyke understood.

Sesshoumaru was the happiest he had been in a long time. _Daddy_ was with him. He was playing with someone that liked him and _that_ could make him happy forever.

Until he remembered that when it started getting dark, Daddy would leave.

The two were quietly enjoying each other's company when a little voice, hushed and unsure, disturbed it.

"Daddy?" His Daddy hummed in reply without looking up from his son's toys.

"When can I come home?" The young boy stared intently at the sewn sandbag in his hands as his Daddy looked up abruptly.

His Daddy hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip.

"Not quit yet my son."

The toddler visibly deflated at the news.

"Please? I promise I'll be good. I'll be the bestest ever. Please take me home," Gripping his toy harder, the young youkai pleaded so softly, his Daddy felt a deep pang tighten in his chest. He didn't want his son in this awful place any more than the boy himself wanted it, but circumstances being what they were. . .

With a sigh, he tried to sum it up, knowing that small children were terrible with long explanations.

"You've lived with Daddy your whole life. Remember son? That's why you have to stay here. Your mother needs to get to know you and she can't do that if you're with Daddy at his house." He broke off to scoff at the recited reasoning the counsel had given him; the old buffoons.

"But Mommy _hates_ me! Why does she hate me?" The toddler searched his Daddy's eyes for reason.

His Daddy was quiet for a time, _why indeed_, he thought; his features creased into a scowl before he answered,

"She does not hate you, Sesshoumaru. She is simply. . . "He broke off with a deep sigh_. When had things become this bad?_ He twirled a wooden soldier in his hand a moment as he pondered.

"Everybody becomes upset with something at one point or another. . . Sometimes your mother losses her temper, but she loves you just the same."

His words were strong but there was something in his eyes, something that made little Sesshoumaru doubt the sincerity.

"But she yells at me. . . And says mean things . . ." The boy fidgeted under his Daddy's stare, "I don't think she likes me very much."

The determined scowl on Daddy's face noticeably deepened.

"You just have to help her see the _real_ you. The _good_ you. The side that Daddy has always seen."

"How's that?" the toddler asked, tilting his head. His Daddy smiled softly and ruffed little Sesshoumaru's hair.

"You are a smart boy. I'm sure you will think of something."

XXXXXX

_I am a smart boy, _the young youkai thought to himself as he meandered around the pond. His Daddy had long since been pulled away by a messenger for another meeting with Grandpa, grumbling and cursing, "_What more could that old scrounge want from me_," until he was out of earshot.

Sesshoumaru paused in his marching, a flutter forming in his stomach. If he thought Mommy disliked him, he _knew _Grandpa did. Mommy, Daddy, and Grandpa were always fighting. Grandpa liked to shout "_defiled my daughter_," whatever that meant and he had _scary_ eyes whenever he looked at the tyke. Those eyes made little Sesshoumaru want to cry sometimes, but he didn't, because big boys don't cry.

Sesshoumaru continued marching with a new found toddler pride. Big boys are also smart. _He_ was smart, Daddy had said so. But making Mommy like him was going to be hard. If only he could think of a way to make her happy. . .

Ribbet

The tyke looked over to his green friend perched lazily on a lily pad and a grin hopped onto his face.

Playing with Froggie always made Sesshoumaru happy, maybe Mommy would like to play with Froggie too!

Scooping his best friend up from the icy water, little Sesshoumaru set his way up the hill to the castle, feeling quit proud of his solution.

XXXXXX

"Mommy! Mommy!" The little tyke darted into his Mommy's room, where she sat before her vanity; a servant woman stood behind Mommy's chair, combing her Lady's gorgeous, silver hair.

"What do you want?" she asked dispassionately, leaning closer to her mirror.

"I got you something to make you feel better!"

The servant helping Mommy inhaled sharply and backed away but Sesshoumaru wasn't interested in her; he wanted his Mommy to see Froggie and be happy with him.

But Sesshoumaru's Mommy tried to ignore him with a roll of her eyes. She continued putting her powered blush on without a care in the world. She only looked down when something was placed in her lap . . . something that _wiggled_.

In that moment, the room exploded in chaos.

Mommy screamed and jumped up from her vanity, knocking into it and causing the bottles to topple and crash to the floor. The powders and fragrances burned the tyke's eyes and he darted the window to open it. Sesshoumaru turned back around to see where Froggie had gotten to and had to cover his mouth to stifle his giggles.

Mommy continued to scream and flail her arms trying to get away from the creature that seemed to pop up everywhere she turned. Froggie hopped franticly from the vanity to the bed to the dresser until finally going for the people in the room. The servant girl let out a horrible shriek when Froggie landed on her head and nestled down in her hair. She managed to sweep him away with a violent stoke of her hand; just to have him fly right towards her Lady's bosom. Wild thrashing and shrieks of distress ensued until Froggie managed to leap for the window and toward his safety.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but laugh at the sight his Mommy had made hopping about the room like the very creature she ran from. She looked like she was dancing and having fun playing keep away.

Mommy caught the light sound of the toddler's giggles and turned sharply toward him.

"YOU HORRID LITTLE URCHIN!" she screeched with such force, her voice cracked.

Sesshoumaru stopped laughing. Terror filled his little body and tears welled within his eyes. He barely had enough time to glance at the door before his Mommy charged at him and he was backed against one of her wardrobes. Delicate yet surprisingly powerful palms rained down on the child as he shrank back and did all he could to shield his tiny self.

"You think that was funny!? Huh?! You disobedient whelp! I told you to stay out of the castle and here you are, bringing filthy things in here! I said STAY AWAY! Are you listening?! WHY CAN'T YOU DO AS YOU'RE TOLD?!"

Big boy or not, Sesshoumaru let the tears stream down his cheeks and the cries break from his throat. This couldn't be the way someone acted when simply upset. Mommy _hated_ him . . .

Daddy had _lied_.

"Stawp. Peaz stawp! I sowwy Mama! Sowwy!" Sesshoumaru begged salvation as his Mommy pried his hands away and smacked him hard across the face. The tyke cried out in pain and pulled harder to get away. _Where was Daddy?! Daddy, please help! _The little tyke silently pleaded.

Sesshoumaru distantly heard a drove of footsteps barrel into the room, but that alone was not much of a deterrent to his Mommy's onslaught.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sesshoumaru heard Daddy shout and his eyes flew open. He did his best to scramble back as Daddy surged into the room and pulled his Mommy away from him. Mommy kicked and screamed and threw her curses violently, still trying to reach the cowering child. Daddy managed to get her a good distance away but her fit made it difficult to keep a hold.

"RELEASE me, barbarian! At once! LET GO!" She pounded her fists against Daddy, getting a few good hits to his face and abdomen. He switched his grip from around her waist to her wrists as she pulled and tried to kick his feet out from under him.

"Goddamnit woman! Stop this madness! ENOUGH!" he snarled in warning, but she showed no signs of complying.

Sesshoumaru squished himself even harder in the corner with fear. He had heard some of Mommy and Daddy's fights before, but he had never _seen_ one. Daddy was never this mad. _Never_. Not even the time when Sesshoumaru messed up Daddy's paperwork or when he had drawn on the banquet hall floor with ink. Daddy was always calm, always nice. But that was no longer the case. Now, he was _scary_.

Suddenly, all commotion froze as the reverberating sound of a slap echoed off the bedchamber's walls. Small gasps came from castle staff that had gathered by the door before they too went deathly quiet.

Mommy stood perfectly still in shock, the damaged skin of her cheek beginning to flush from the strike. She raised her hand to her face and stared blankly into some distance.

Daddy looked even more startled than Mommy did. He instantly released his hold on her and staggered back one step . . . two steps.

He slowly looked to his offended hand, staring at it like the thing had acted on its own and defied him. His dazed eyes gave way to a scowl as he watched his fingers curl around themselves. He relaxed his fist then formed it again, his glower ever present.

Then Daddy turned sharply to the servant girl cowering against the wall.

"You."

She jumped from his sudden bark, but he paid no mind to it.

"Go gather Sesshoumaru's things. He will stay here no longer. He is returning with me."

The girl complied instantly. She ran as fast as she could from the room, not caring to wait and see if her Lady might object.

Daddy looked back up to Mommy. She stared angrily to the side, her hand pressed lightly to her bruising cheek. He worked his mouth like his wanted to speak but ultimately thought against it. He turned on his heels and left the room. The crowd of guards in the hall parted quickly as he passed through, still clenching and unclenching his defiled hand.

The rest of the adults made haste with clearing out of the hallway soon after.

Sesshoumaru, at a loss of what to do, sat cowering and forgotten about, in the corner of the room.

"Sesshoumaru," ―or maybe not.

His Mommy called out to him in a quiet, baritone voice that sent just as much fear through him as the shouting had. Powered by the sheer shock of it all,―the struggling, the shouting, and the hitting― he got up, stood by her heels and looked up to her stoic profile. Mommy stared at the empty doorway as she spoke to her son, an odd calmness settling in her speech,

"Look what you've done, Sesshoumaru. You are so loud and destructive and now you've made your father hate me when I was simply trying to fix you."

Sesshoumaru's eyes slowly widened into a bewildered stare, his tears continued to absently stroll down his cheeks. _What was she saying? Was this my fault? Maybe it was . . ._

His Mommy turned to look down at the tyke. Their eyes locked for a long, awaiting moment before she finally spoke, her tone shrouded in dead ice,

"Why can't you just behave."

Then she walked through the doorway and disappeared.

Sesshoumaru stood alone in the shambled room. His tears had finally stopped falling but he let out a hiccup every few seconds. Ringing his hands nervously, the toddler decided it was best he left the castle as fast as he could. But where could he go? Had Daddy said he was going home? He couldn't remember.

Worried he'd be caught dawdling in Mommy's room ―around the trinkets she loved so much ― Sesshoumaru ran. He dashed blindly down the hall, through the doors, and over the hill. He didn't even realized where he was headed, until the old pond came into his line of sight.

Sesshoumaru stared at his reflection in the cool, clear water. His chubby fingers rose to the crescent moon on his forehead, a feature he shared with his Mommy.

He wished he didn't have it. He didn't like remembering someone who hated him, who yelled and tried to hurt him. Why did Daddy make him stay here? Maybe Daddy didn't like having him around either. Sesshoumaru didn't like that idea. It had to be wrong. But the poor toddler wasn't very sure about things anymore.

The boy was so engrossed with his thoughts, he didn't notice the critter until he was right up on him.

Ribbet

Sesshoumaru startled with a jump by the sudden noise. Scanning the area, his eyes landed on a certain green creature squatting on a large lily pad.

"Oh, Froggie. There you are," the tyke said hopefully, stretching over the cold water until he was able to grab the little thing.

"Lucky you, Froggie. You got away fast." He rubbed his head where Mommy had smacked him.

"I guess Mommy didn't want to play, huh?" He felt himself deflated with the realization.

Letting out a deep sigh, Sesshoumaru hugged his one and only friend.

"Well Froggie I guess it's just you and me again."

Ribbet

"No Froggie. Quiet."

Ribbet Ribbet

"No Froggie! Mommy wants us to be quiet."

Ribbet Ribbet Ribbet

"Froggie! If you're loud, Mommy will get mad again. Do you wanna make Mommy mad?! Behave!" The tyke's fingers tightened around his little friend.

Ribbet Ribbet Ribbet Ribbet Ribbet

"Don't you know how to _behave_!? Quiet!" He gave the croaking amphibian a good shake.

RibbetRibbetRibbetRibbetRibb etRibbetRib. . .

He eyed the small, motionless body he had just thrown against the callous pond rocks with a set and apathetic gaze.

"It's your fault Froggie. You should have behaved."

* * *

Background info:

Amaterasu, the Moon Rabbit, and the eight-headed snake are actual Japanese legends, pretty cool ones too.

I hope you enjoyed this little tale. Review to let me know.


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